IKO Armourplan at Hinkley Point C

Hinkley Point C will be the first in a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK, marking a significant moment in the revitalisation of country’s nuclear power industry. Capable of generating 3.2GW, it will sit alongside an operating nuclear power station, and one being decommissioned, on the north Somerset coast in the south-west of England.

Throughout its 10 year construction, Hinkley Point C will create over 25,000 new employment opportunities, generate low-carbon electricity for almost 6 million homes avoiding 9 million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, provide great opportunities for local, national and international businesses and increase energy security and resilience from a safe, reliable, home-grown source of electricity.

The Hinkley Point C project also includes some associated developments in the surrounding area. These include an accommodation campus next to the main site; an accommodation campus in Bridgwater for construction workers; four park and ride facilities to transport workers by bus to the Hinkley Point C development site; a temporary jetty and refurbished wharf to deliver as much heavy equipment and material as possible by sea to reduce pressure on roads; a bypass to the west of the nearby village of Cannington and a series of highway improvement schemes across the local road network.

To minimise disruption to an already extremely busy project and speed up the construction, the accommodation for the construction workers was built off site in Caledonian Modular’s manufacturing plant in Newark. Due to its ease of installation and compatibility with offsite construction projects, a PVC single ply system was chosen for the roofing project.

Partnership was the key to all involved in the supply chain. The main objective of the project was to use environmentally friendly, UK sourced products. Having ticked so many boxes, Caledonian Modular’s design team specified IKO Polymeric’s Armourplan PSG fleece-backed PVC membrane for the waterproofing project. IKO Polymeric, the UK’s only single ply manufacturer, has worked with Caledonian Modular in various projects in the past providing expert technical advice on project design. Manufactured in IKO Polymeric’s BREEAM rated ‘very good’ production plant in Chesterfield with a BBA service life in excess of 30 years, IKO Armourplan roofing membrane was the choice for the UK’s new generation first low carbon nuclear power station.

Membrane installations were carried out by Marksman Roofing in Caledonian Modular’s manufacturing facility. 44 identical roof modules were installed with IKO Armourplan PSG membrane and shipped to the site for final installation of the 10,000m² roof. To construct the individual roof modules, a layer of OSB3 was bonded together with foil-faced insulation; then another layer of OSB3 with IKO Armourplan PSG membrane was fully bonded to the exterior grade ply boards.

With much of the work carried out offsite, the installation was unaffected by poor weather conditions which also contributed to the project’s quick turnaround. The roofing project, which started in April 2017, is now ready to complete with a high standard of workmanship demonstrated by Marksman Roofing.